Urine splash guards and splash guard assembly for toilets

ABSTRACT

A splash guard assembly for removable attachment to a split-ring toilet seat elevator or split-ring toilet seat includes a base splash guard adapted to fit within the gap of the seat or elevator and a raised splash guard adapted to slip over the base splash guard to extend the working height of the splash guard assembly. The splash guards can be used together or separately and independently to accommodate a wide variety of toilet bowls as well as split-ring and solid-ring toilet seats and seat elevators.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to splash guards, and moreparticularly to urine deflectors detachably connectable to a widevariety of toilets toilet seats and seat risers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Physically challenged adults and the persons who care for them oftenfind using a toilet to be one of the most difficult tasks. One problemassociated with toilet use is that urine may be directed outside of thetoilet bowl by a male user who is not able to lean forward or otherwiseproperly direct the flow of urine while sitting on a toilet seat. Often,when a male user is sitting on a toilet seat in an upright position, asif sitting in a normal chair, his urine may be directed horizontallytowards the front of the toilet. Urine may then pass over the top of thetoilet bowl, between the toilet bowl and toilet seat, over the toiletseat, or may impinge on the toilet seat or upper edge of the bowl. Anyof these conditions creates an undesirable unsanitary condition in thetoilet area, as well as potentially splashing urine onto the patient,the patient's clothing and surrounding areas.

This problem is magnified by the use of split-ring toilet seats as wellas handicapped type toilet seat risers or elevators which are typicallyprovided to raise the seat several inches above the existing toiletbowl. One of the functions of such risers is to make it easier for awheelchair bound patient to move on and off of the toilet seat. However,by raising the seating surface, the likelihood that a stream of urinemay pass through the gap in the riser and/or over the top of the toiletbowl is increased. In light of the above problems, there is an obviousneed for a removable, easily sterilized toilet accessory that willredirect a stream of urine of a male patient into the toilet bowl,thereby reducing contamination of the toilet and surrounding areas, theuser, the user's clothing, and any caretakers.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, a first or base urinesplash guard is provided for removable connection to a split-ring toiletseat or toilet seat elevator having a gap and includes a front wall, arear wall, an upper wall extending between the front and rear walls toform a channel, and a first rib located in the channel. The front, rearand upper walls are adapted to face the outer, inner and upper surfaces,respectively, of the split-ring toilet seat or seat elevator and thefirst rib is adapted to face an upright surface of the gap when thesplash guard is connected to the split-ring toilet seat or toilet seatelevator.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a second or raisedurine splash guard is provided for removable connection to a toiletcomponent and includes a bottom wall, a rear wall extending downwardlyfrom the bottom wall, spaced side walls extending upwardly from thebottom wall, a top wall extending between the side walls, and a frontwall extending downwardly from the top wall and between the side walls.The front wall includes a lower wall section extending below the bottomwall. The bottom, side, top and front walls form an open cavity forredirecting a urine stream from a user while the bottom wall, rear walland lower wall section form a channel for receiving the toiletcomponent. The toilet component can be in the form of another urinesplash guard, split-ring or solid-ring toilet seats and toilet seatelevators, and the like.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a urine splashguard assembly for removable connection to a split-ring toilet seat ortoilet seat elevator includes a base or first urine splash guard havinga front wall, a rear wall and an upper wall extending between the frontand rear walls. The front, rear and upper walls form a channel forreceiving the split-ring toilet seat or seat elevator. The splash guardassembly also includes a raised or second urine splash guard having abottom wall, a rear wall extending downwardly from the bottom wall,spaced side walls extending upwardly from the bottom wall, a top wallextending between the side walls, and a front wall extending downwardlyfrom the top wall and between the side walls. The front wall includes alower wall section extending below the bottom wall. The bottom, side,top and front walls form an open cavity for redirecting a urine streamfrom a user while the bottom wall, rear wall and lower wall section forma channel for receiving the base or first urine splash guard such thatthe front, rear and upper walls of the first urine splash guard face thefront, rear and bottom walls of the second urine splash guard.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary as well as the following detailed description ofthe preferred embodiments of the present invention will be bestunderstood when considered in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like designations denote like elements throughout thedrawings, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front isometric view of a urine splash guard assembly inaccordance with the present invention removably connected to a toiletseat elevator which is in turn mounted on a conventional toilet;

FIG. 2 is a rear isometric exploded view of the splash guard assemblyadapted for mounting to a split-ring toilet seat elevator;

FIG. 3 is a rear isometric view of a first splash guard of the splashguard assembly connected to a split-ring toilet seat elevator;

FIG. 4 is a rear isometric view of the first and second splash guards ofthe splash guard assembly connected to the toilet seat elevator;

FIG. 5A is a lower rear isometric view of the first splash guard;

FIG. 5B is a lower front isometric view of the first splash guard;

FIG. 5C is a front elevational view of the first splash guard;

FIG. 5D is a rear elevational view of the first splash guard;

FIG. 5E is a sectional view of the first splash guard taken along line5E-5E of FIG. 5D;

FIG. 5F is a bottom plan view of the first splash guard;

FIG. 6A is a lower rear isometric view of the second splash guard;

FIG. 6B is a lower front isometric view of the second splash guard;

FIG. 6C is an upper front isometric view of the second splash guard;

FIG. 6D is a sectional view of the second splash guard taken along line6D-6D of FIG. 6C;

FIG. 6E is a lower front isometric view of the splash guard assembly;

FIG. 6F is a rear elevational view of the splash guard assembly;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the splash guard assembly on a split-ringtoilet seat elevator showing adjustment of the second splash guard;

FIG. 8 is a rear isometric view of the splash guard assembly adapted formounting to a split-ring toilet seat;

FIG. 9 is a rear isometric exploded view of the second splash guardadapted for mounting to a solid-ring toilet seat elevator;

FIG. 10 is a rear isometric exploded view of the second splash guardadapted for mounting to a solid-ring toilet seat; and

FIG. 11 is a rear isometric exploded view of the second splash guard formounting to a split-ring toilet seat and rim of a toilet bowl.

It is noted that the drawings are intended to depict only typical orexemplary embodiments of the invention and thus may not be necessarilyto scale. Accordingly, the drawings should not be considered as limitingthe spirit and scope of the invention. The invention will now bedescribed in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings and to FIGS. 1 and 2 in particular, aurine splash guard assembly 10 in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention is illustrated. As shown, the splashguard assembly 10 is removably connected to a toilet seat elevator 12which is in turn connected to toilet bowl 20 of a toilet 14.

The splash guard assembly 10 preferably includes a base or first splashguard 16 and a raised or second splash guard 18 removably connectable tothe first splash guard. Preferably, the first and second splash guardsare separate and distinct for selective connection to and removal fromtoilet components such as split and solid-ring toilet seat and seatelevators, toilet bowl rims, other splash guards, and the like, as willbe described in greater detail below. However, it will be understoodthat the first and second splash guards can be integrally moldedtogether or otherwise permanently affixed together in any conventionalmanner.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the toilet seat elevator 12 can be ofconventional split-ring construction and is often used to increase theheight of a conventional round or oblong toilet seat and lid (not shown)with respect to a round or oblong toilet bowl 20 (FIG. 1) of a toilet 14to accommodate users who may otherwise experience difficultly withtoilet seats of conventional height. The seat elevator 12 is preferablyof lightweight, hollow construction and includes a generallysplit-ring-shaped seat or seat support portion 22 that is adapted torest on or otherwise be supported by an upper surface 24 (FIG. 1) of thetoilet bowl 20. A gap 26 is formed at a forward end of the seat elevator12 and is bounded by right and left upright surfaces 28 and 30,respectively, which extend between an upper ring surface 32 and a lowerring surface 34. An inner ring surface 36 and outer ring surface 38extend between the upright surfaces 28 and 30.

With additional reference to FIG. 3, the base or first splash guard 16is constructed to fill the gap 26 (FIG. 2) of the seat elevator 12. Asshown in FIG. 4, in one embodiment of the invention, the raised orsecond splash guard 18 is preferably constructed to slip over the baseor first splash guard 16 when split-ring type seat elevators are used.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 5A-5F, the base or first splash guard 16preferably includes a front wall 42, a rear wall 44, and an upper wall46 extending between the front and rear walls to form a channel 47. Ribs48, 50 are located within the channel 47 and preferably extenddownwardly from the upper wall 46 and between the front and rear walls42, 44. As shown in FIG. 5F, the ribs 48, 50 are preferably spaced aparta distance “A” so that they are in close proximity to the uprightsurfaces 28 and 30, respectively, of the seat elevator 12. However, itwill be understood that the ribs can be closer together to accommodategaps of different widths and to allow radial adjustment of the firstsplash guard 16 on the seat elevator 12. The ribs 48, 50 serve not onlyto reinforce the walls 42, 44 and 46, but also to facilitate alignmentof the first splash guard 16 within the gap 26 of the respectiveelevator. Preferably, the front wall 42, rear wall 44 and upper wall 46are curved or otherwise shaped to complement the shape of the outer ringsurface 38, the inner ring surface 36 and the upper ring surface 32 ofthe elevator, respectively. As shown in FIG. 5D, the rear wall 44preferably has a width “B” that is smaller than the width of the frontwall 42 to accommodate the smaller arc of the inner ring surface 36 anda height or length “C” greater than the height or length of the frontwall. In this manner, the rear wall 44 extends below the interfacebetween the seat elevator 12 and upper surface 24 of the toilet bowl 20preventing urine from penetrating therebetween. However, it will beunderstood that the relative dimensions between the front and rear wallscan greatly vary.

The base or first splash guard 16 is preferably of single-piececonstruction and molded or otherwise manufactured of a plastic materialwhich is easily cleanable and resistant to urine and other fluids.However, it will be understood that the various components of the firstsplash guard can be constructed separately and attached together throughany well known techniques. It will be further understood that the firstsplash guard 16 can be constructed of different materials such as metal,composites, glass, ceramics, and so on.

Referring now to FIGS. 6A-6D, the raised or second splash guard 18preferably includes a front wall 52, a bottom wall 54 and a top wall 56extending rearwardly from the front wall 52, and right and left sidewalls 58, 60 extending between the top and bottom walls to form an opencavity 62. A rear wall 64 and a lower wall section 66 of the front wall52 extend downwardly from the bottom wall 54 to form a channel 68 forreceiving the first splash guard 16 or a closed or split-ring seatelevator or toilet seat and/or toilet bowl rim as will be furtherdescribed below. As shown in FIG. 6D, an upper surface 70 of the bottomwall 54 preferably slopes downwardly and rearwardly from the front wall52 so that urine or other fluids can freely drain out of the cavity 62.

With additional reference to FIGS. 6E and 6F, the channel 68 of thesecond splash guard 18 is dimensioned to receive the base or firstsplash guard 16. Preferably, the first and second splash guards arecomplementary in shape, so that the front wall 52 (including the lowersection 66), the rear wall 64 and bottom wall 54 are curved tocomplement the shape of the front wall 42, rear wall 44 and top wall 46,respectively, of the base or first splash guard 16. As shown in FIG. 6F,the rear wall 64 preferably has a width “D” that is less than the width“B” of the rear wall 44 and a height or length “E” that is preferablyequal to the height or length “C” (FIG. 5D) of the rear wall 44 of thefirst splash guard 16. Likewise, the lower front wall section 66 ispreferably equal in height or length to the front wall 42. However, itwill be understood that the relative dimensions of the first and secondsplash guards can vary over a wide range without departing from thespirit and scope of the present invention.

The raised or second splash guard 18 is preferably of single-piececonstruction and molded or otherwise manufactured of a plastic materialwhich is easily cleanable and resistant to urine and other fluids.However, it will be understood that the various components of the secondsplash guard can be constructed separately and attached together throughany well known techniques. It will be further understood that the secondsplash guard 18 can be constructed of different materials such as metal,composites, glass, ceramics, and so on.

With reference now to FIG. 7, when the base or first and raised orsecond splash guards are connected together, the raised splash guard 18can be slidable or radially adjustable along the raised splash guard 16as shown by arrows 71 and 73 and phantom lines 18A and 18B. Relativeadjustment of the splash guards in this manner accommodates seatelevators of different configurations as well as the particularpreferences and needs of a user.

Referring now to FIG. 8, the splash guard assembly 10 of the presentinvention is not limited to installation on split-ring toilet seatelevators but can also be connected to a split-ring toilet seat 40. Asshown, the toilet seat 40 includes a generally split-ring-shaped seatsupport portion 82 that is adapted to rest on or otherwise be supportedby an upper surface 24 (FIG. 1) of the toilet bowl 20. A gap 76 isformed at a forward end of the toilet seat 40 and is bounded by rightand left upright surfaces 78 and 80, respectively, that extend betweenan upper ring surface 82 and a lower ring surface 84. An inner ringsurface 86 and outer ring surface 88 extend between the upright surfaces78 and 80.

As with the seat elevator 12, the base or first splash guard 16 isconstructed to fill the gap 76 of the toilet seat 40 and the raised orsecond splash guard 18 slips over the first splash guard 16. In order toaccommodate the smaller profile seat 40, the ribs 48, 50 and/or walls42, 44 can be shortened. Although a single split-ring toilet seat isshown, it will be understood that the splash guard assembly 10 of thepresent invention can be used in combination with a seat elevator and atoilet seat mounted on the seat elevator (partially shown in FIG. 11).In this instance, the ribs 48, 50 and/or walls 42, 44 of the firstsplash guard can be lengthened. It will be further understood that thesplash guard assembly 10 can be dimensioned and shaped to fit a widevariety of different toilet seat and seat elevator arrangements withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The base and raised splash guards can be used separately andindependently of each other. For example, it may be necessary to useonly the base or first splash guard 16 with the seat elevator 12 (FIG.2) or toilet seat 40 (FIG. 8), when the urine trajectory of a user whilesitting on the elevator 12 and/or seat 40 can be controlled or isotherwise lower than the upper surface 46 of the base or first splashguard 16. Likewise, the raised or second splash guard 18 can be usedwithout the base or first splash guard 16 for seat elevators and toiletseats with or without the split-ring arrangement, as illustrated inFIGS. 9-11, especially when the urine trajectory of a user while sittingis higher than the upper surface 70 of the bottom wall 54 (FIG. 6D).

Referring now to FIG. 9, the raised or second splash guard 18 can beslipped over a solid-ring toilet seat elevator 90. As shown, the seatelevator 90 is similar in construction to the split-ring seat elevator12 previously described, with the exception that the gap and itscorresponding upright surfaces have been eliminated. When connectedtogether, the bottom wall 54, rear wall 64 and front wall 66 of theraised or second splash guard 18 are next to or face the upper ringsurface 32, inner ring surface 36 and outer ring surface 38,respectively, of the solid-ring toilet seat elevator 90. The raised orsecond splash guard 18 can be slidable or radially adjustable on theseat elevator 90 in a manner similar to that described with reference toFIG. 7.

Referring now to FIG. 10, the raised splash guard 18 can be slipped overa solid-ring toilet seat 92. As shown, the toilet seat 92 is similar inconstruction to the split-ring toilet seat 40 previously described, withthe exception that the gap and its corresponding upright surfaces havebeen eliminated. When connected together, the bottom wall 54, rear wall64 and front wall 66 of the raised splash guard 18 are next to or facethe upper ring surface 82, inner ring surface 86 and outer ring surface88, respectively, of the solid-ring toilet seat 92. The raised splashguard 18 can be also radially adjustable on the toilet seat 92 in amanner discussed hereinabove.

Referring now to FIG. 11, the raised splash guard 18 can be slipped overthe split-ring toilet seat 40 without the use of the base or firstsplash guard 16. When connected together, the bottom wall 54, rear wall64 and front wall 66 of the second splash guard 18 are next to an upperring surface 94, inner ring surface 96 and outer ring surface 98,respectively, of the toilet bowl 20. The side walls 58 and 60 of thesecond splash guard preferably fit between the upright surfaces 78 and80, respectively, of the split-ring toilet seat 40. If needed, the rearwall 64 of the second splash guard can be widened to extend beyond theside walls 58, 60. It will be understood that the raised or secondsplash guard 18 can alternatively be slipped over the toilet seat 40 sothat the bottom wall 54 rests on top of the upper ring surface 82.

In each of the above-described embodiments, one or both splash -guardscan be easily installed and removed as needed to accommodate differentusers. In addition, both inserts can be easily removed and reinstalledto facilitate cleaning and sterilization.

It will be understood that the term “preferably” as used throughout thespecification refers to one or more exemplary embodiments of theinvention and therefore is not to be interpreted in any limiting sense.It will be further understood that the term “connect” and its variousderivatives as may be used throughout the specification refer tocomponents that may be joined together either directly or through one ormore intermediate members. In addition, terms of orientation and/orposition as may be used throughout the specification relate to relativerather than absolute orientations and/or positions.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could bemade to the embodiments described above without departing from the broadinventive concept thereof. It will be understood, therefore, that thisinvention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but isintended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of thepresent invention as defined by the appended claims.

1. A base urine splash guard for removable connection to a split-ringtoilet seat elevator or toilet seat each having upper, lower, inner andouter ring surfaces and a gap with first and second upright surfacesextending between the upper and lower surfaces, the base splash guardcomprising: a front wall; a rear wall; an upper wall extending betweenthe front and rear walls, the front, rear and upper walls forming anengaging channel; and at least a first rib located in the engagingchannel; wherein the front, rear and upper walls of the base guard areadapted to face the outer, inner and upper surfaces, respectively, andsaid at least first rib is adapted to face the first upright surfacewhen the splash guard is connected to the split-ring toilet seat ortoilet seat elevator.
 2. A base urine splash guard according to claim 1,and further comprising a second rib located in the engaging channel andspaced from the first rib, the second rib being adapted to face thesecond upright surface when the splash guard is connected to thesplit-ring toilet seat or toilet seat elevators stabilizing connectionbetween the splash guard and the toilet seat elevator or toilet seat. 3.A base urine splash guard according to claim 1, wherein in an assembledcondition the rear wall is positioned at the inner surface and extendsbetween the upper and lower ring surfaces so as to cover the gap.
 4. Abase urine splash guard according to claim 3, wherein the rear wallextends below the lower ring surface so as to cover an interface areabetween the toilet seat elevator or toilet seat and a toilet bowl.
 5. Abase urine splash guard according to claim 1, wherein a height of thefirst rib is less than a length of the front wall.
 6. A base urinesplash guard according to claim 1, wherein the front wall of the splashguard is curved to compliment a shape of the outer surface of the toiletseat elevator or toilet seat.
 7. A base urine splash guard according toclaim 1, wherein the rear wall of the splash guard is curved tocompliment a shape of the inner ring surface of the toilet seat elevatoror toilet seat.
 8. A raised urine splash guard for removable connectionto a toilet component, the raised splash guard comprising: a bottomwall; a rear wall extending downwardly from the bottom wall; spaced sidewalls extending upwardly from the bottom wall; a top wall extendingbetween the side walls; and a front wall extending downwardly from thetop wall and between the side walls, the front wall including a-lowerwall section extending below the bottom wall; the bottom, side, top andfront walls forming an open cavity for receiving and redirecting a urinestream from a user; and the bottom wall, rear wall and lower wallsection forming a receiving channel for receiving the toilet component.9. A raised urine splash guard according to claim 8, wherein the toiletcomponent comprises a split-ring toilet seat elevator or split-ringtoilet seat having outer, inner and upper ring surfaces; the receivingchannel of the raised guard being adapted to receive the outer, innerand upper surfaces when the raised splash guard is connected to therespective toilet component.
 10. A raised urine splash guard accordingto claim 8, wherein the toilet component comprises a solid-ring toiletseat or solid-ring toilet seat having outer, inner and upper ringsurfaces; the receiving channel of the raised guard being adapted toreceive the outer, inner and upper surfaces when the raised splash guardis connected to the respective toilet component.
 11. A raised urinesplash guard according to claim 8, wherein the toilet componentcomprises a rim of a toilet bowl having outer, inner and upper ringsurfaces; the receiving channel of the raised guard being adapted toreceive the front, rear and upper surfaces when the splash guard isconnected to the rim.
 12. A raised urine splash guard according to claim8, wherein the toilet component comprises a base urine splash guardhaving: a front wall; a rear wall; and an upper wall extending betweenthe front and rear walls; the front, rear and upper walls forming anengaging channel for a receiving portion of a toilet seat elevator orseat; wherein the receiving channel of the raised urine splash guard isadapted to receive the front, rear and upper walls of the base urinesplash guard when connected thereto.
 13. A raised urine splash guardaccording to claim 12, wherein a length of the rear wall of the raisedguard is greater than a length of the lower wall section so as to extendsubstantially along the rear wall of the base guard.
 14. A raised urinesplash guard according to claim 8, wherein the bottom wall of the raisedguard has an inner sloping surface that extends in the open cavitydownwardly and rearwardly from the front wall to facilitate removal ofthe accumulated urine.
 15. A urine splash guard assembly for removableconnection to a split-ring toilet seat elevator or split-ring toiletseat having upper, lower, inner and outer ring surfaces and a gap withfirst and second upright surfaces extending between the upper and lowersurfaces, the splash guard assembly comprising: a base urine splashguard having: a front wall; a rear wall; an upper wall extending betweenthe front and rear walls, the front, rear and upper walls forming anengaging channel for engaging or receiving the split-ring toilet seatelevator or toilet seat; a raised urine splash guard having: a bottomwall; a rear wall extending downwardly from the bottom wall; spaced sidewalls extending upwardly from the bottom wall; a top wall extendingbetween the side walls; and a front wall extending downwardly from thetop wall and between the side walls, the front wall including a lowerwall section extending below the bottom wall; the bottom, side, top andfront walls forming an open cavity for receiving and redirecting a urinestream of a user; and the bottom wall, rear wall and lower wall sectionof the raised guard forming a receiving channel for receiving the baseurine splash guard such that the front, rear and upper walls of the baseurine splash guard face the front, rear and bottom walls of the raisedurine splash guard.
 16. A urine splash guard assembly according to claim15, wherein to facilitate connection between the splash guards, the rearwall of the base splash guard has a width that is greater than a widthof the rear wall of the raised splash guard, and the front wall of thebase splash guard has a width that is greater than a width of the frontwall of the raised splash guard.
 17. A urine splash guard assemblyaccording to claim 16, wherein the receiving channel of the raised guardis adapted for engagement with the front, rear and upper walls of thebase guard in such a manner that position of the raised guard on thebase guard is adjustable.
 18. A urine splash guard assembly according toclaim 15, wherein the base guard further comprises a pair ofspaced-apart ribs extending downwardly from the upper wall, in anassembled condition the ribs are positioned in the closed proximity ofthe upright surfaces of the seat elevator or toilet, so as to stabilizeposition of at least the base guards within the elevator.
 19. A raisedurine splash guard according to claim 12, wherein the receiving channelof the raised guard is adapted for engagement with an outer periphery ofthe base guard in such a manner that that position of the raised guardon the base guard is adjustable.
 20. A raised urine splash guardaccording to claim 9, wherein the receiving channel of the raised guardis adapted for engagement with an outer periphery of the respectivetoilet component in such a manner that a position of the raised guard onthat component is adjustable.